California Gov. Newsom signs bill to help LGBTQ military veterans reclaim benefits

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a bill that will help LGBTQ military veterans discharged under "don't ask, don't tell" policies to reclaim their benefits.

Bradford Betz is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to bradford.betz@fox.com  and on Twitter: @Bradford_Betz.  

"For decades, our bravest heroes, men and women who wore the uniforms of the armed services had to hide who they really were, and many were other than honorably discharged if their sexuality was discovered," Newsom said in a statement after announcing he had signed the bill.

Gays and lesbians were banned in the military until the 1993 approval of "don't ask, don't tell," which allowed them to serve only if they did not openly acknowledge their sexual orientation. Rather than helping, advocates say, the policy created more problems. In its entire history, the military dismissed more than 100,000 service members based on their sexual or gender identities — 14,000 of them during "don't ask, don't tell."